After a lot of deliberation, we've finally set the date to return home: June 27. About 9 weeks from today. We thought about getting back earlier, but Meredith's contract ends on June 30th and I will be in an online class until June 12. There is a wedding we want to go to in South Luangwa of some friends on June 20th and we have a house to pick up. June 27th it is.
Of course, there are some changes already. This is from a conference that Meredith just went to. We both took pictures and replied: "Can you believe this?"
Andrew came to Malawi! Originally, it was going to be Dan and Anu as well, but they got hung up in Amsterdam after being bumped from a flight. 7 months of planning came unglued because of an overbooked flight. Jeez. The airlines need to do better than that. Still, it was incredible having Andrew here.
We took Andrew out to Blue Zebra right from the flight. We figured might as well get over jet lag on a sunny beach.
Then we went up north to the Mushroom Farm. Hard to describe this place other than it is a backpacker site on the edge of a cliff with some of the best food I've had. We spent 3 nights here.
Manchewe Falls by Livingstonia
Ran into our friend Joe behind the waterfall!
We also just stumbled onto a choir rehearsing for Easter. Here is one of their songs. Watch the lady on the left with her baby in a sling.
One day we hiked to Livingstonia this little girl just walked up and grabbed one of our hands and started walking with us. Soon all of here friends did the same. This event would melt even the most cynical of hearts.
She didn't like it when I paused to take a picture.
On the following day, we ran into a bunch of women carrying firewood. It is insane how much they carry on their heads.
Makuzi Beach where we spent a couple of nights.
Back in Lilongwe we paid the toll and went to the used clothing market. A shaky bridge over a polluted river in a land where the average weight must be 120 lbs. This is more nerve wracking than Devil's Pool for me.
The view from Zomba Forest Lodge where we spent a night. I must have a thing for pictures of people carrying things on their head.
These are from Mvuu Camp. We went back there just because Andrew needed to see some game before leaving Africa. The hippos would come right into our camp at night.
A Kingfisher.
We found the herd of elephants in our boat and just sat and watched them for 30 min. I could have spent all day there.
Labor is plentiful in Malawi, and they are never short of ideas for solving any problem.
Dan and the electrician. They needed a ladder so they made one. Problem solved.
This is the tool most people use to cut grass. I used to complain about the lawn mower.
Here is Dan taking care trimming up the yard. We did rent the lawn mower from someone in the neighborhood so he didn't have to do the whole lawn this way. Most Malawians would have used the blade on their yard.
There are lawn mowers for rent for a price. A guy will even ride it to your house and mow it for you.
Fish coming back from Salima. Better than outside the car.
